Is Ontario ready for next ice storm?

There is a long list of climate change tragedies, including B.C. this year. When we watch these events unfold, it is human nature to think those are far away places, “it won’t happen here.”

History tells us we are not safe from climate change tragedies right here in Ontario. It’s very likely the ice storm we experienced in 1998 will happen again. Winter is fast approaching. Is Ontario prepared for another such storm? In the ice storm in 1998, 28 people died, mostly from hypothermia, 945 people were injured. Over 4 million people in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick lost power. About 600,000 people at severe risk to their safety had to leave their homes to find safe shelter. The total financial damage was estimated at $5.4 billion.

There are many similarities between Ontario and Texas, which had its own climate change tragedy last winter. A tragedy made much worse by human greed. Ten million people lost power, many for more than two weeks and more than 210 people died. The cost was more than $195 billion, not to mention the cost of human suffering. Electricity affects every aspect of our lives. A lengthy power disruption can be a very serious threat to life. It’s clear private ownership, deregulation and greed played a major role in the disaster in Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott was warned years ago, but protecting profits was much more important to him than fixing the problem. Premier Doug Ford is acting the same way — doing everything he can to protect profits in the hydro sector here by spending billions of our money on electricity rate subsidies.

Ironically, Texas implemented its deregulated electricity market in 2002, the same year that Ontario’s deregulated electricity market was implemented. Mike Harris’s deregulation legislation turned every single provincial and municipal hydro from a non-profit power at cost commission into a for-profit corporation while promising lower rates. It wasn’t a credible claim. Deregulated electricity markets were implemented around the world with the exact same promise. Electricity markets are notoriously easy to manipulate. Disconnecting Texas from the national grid to ensure a higher market price made the crisis there much worse. Most jurisdictions that deregulated their electricity systems, including Alberta, have now publicly admitted electricity deregulation failed. Ontario has yet to admit its experiment with hydro deregulation has been and continues to be a costly failure.

There are questions that need to be asked about Ontario’s severe storm planning.

Does Ontario have an emergency plan for another ice storm? If not, why not? Why didn’t Ontario harden its hydroelectric system after the last ice storm the way Quebec did? Given the downsizing that occurred under deregulation to maximize profits, does Ontario have enough trained and experienced tradespeople and the tools, trucks and equipment that go with them to deal with such an event?

Does Ontario have an emergency stockpile of hydro materials and equipment like transformers, switches, insulators and all the different types of wire and cable connectors and hardware needed to get the power back on?

In the ice storm of ’98, we spent the better part of many days digging those materials and equipment out of the ice and snow to get the power back on because that material and equipment wasn’t available. When time is critical to save lives and keep people safe, you really don’t want to spend a lot of valuable time doing that. Having an available stockpile of materials and equipment is critical to getting the power back on as quickly as possible. Deregulation has caused rates to spike exactly like Texas. What has it done to system reliability, safety and the ability to respond in an emergency?

With climate change accelerating, the responsible thing to do is have a plan and prepare. Being reactive when another ice storm hits is too late. Time to learn the lessons of Texas and plan for a severe weather event.